Aim: To clarify the factors
associated with reported dietary fat intake by Japanese male children. Methods:
This study is based on the data of a nationally representative cross-sectional
study in Japan. Three hundred and seventy-seven male children (age, 6 - 11
years) whose households were sampled in the 1995 Comprehensive Survey of Living
Conditions of the People on Health and Welfare, and the 1995 National Nutrition
Survey and whose parents were identified through record linkage between the 2
survey data sets were enrolled. Results: The final dataset in this study
consisted of 377 boys with 329 of their parents. Fifty-two boys were found to
be overweight (13.8%). The reported dietary fat intake was higher among the
overweight boys than among the non-overweight boys. Maternal obesity was
significantly associated with obesity in male children. Boys who frequently
consumed foods from the “fats and lipids” group and the “meat” groups, and
children from nuclear families rather than 3- generation families reported high
dietary fat intake. In addition, parental fat intake was also significantly
associated with fat intake of male children. Conclusions: Child and parental dietary habits along
with the household status should be considered when implementing nutritional
education programmes to control dietary fat intake and reduce the obesity risks
of male children.

Bundred, P., Kitchiner, D. and Buchan, I. (2001) Prevalence of overweight and obese children between 1989 and 1998: population based series of cross sectional studies. BMJ, 322, 326-328. doi:10.1136/bmj.322.7282.326

Fisher, J.O. and Birch, L.L. (1995) Fat preferences and consumption of 3- to 5-year-old children are related to parental adiposity. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 95, 759-764.
doi:10.1016/S0002-8223(95)00212-X

Fisher, J.O. and Birch, L.L. (1995) Fat preferences and consumption of 3- to 5-year-old children are related to parental adiposity. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 95, 759-764.
doi:10.1016/S0002-8223(95)00212-X

Nagai, J., Yoshimoto, S., Matsuura, T. and Katsuno, S. (2006) A community-based study on dietary intake among school-age children: Goshiki Health Study—Trend in dietary intake of the fifth grade school children over 13 years (1986-1999) in Goshiki Town of Hyogo Prefecture Jpn. School Health, 48, 3-17.